2024 Tenuta San Guido "Guidalberto" Toscana IGT, Tuscany, Italy

ABOUT THE WINE

Guidalberto expresses Tenuta San Guido’s coastal Tuscan vineyards through a Bordeaux-inspired blend, with Merlot bringing roundness to Cabernet Sauvignon’s structure. The 2024 is 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot, bottled as Toscana IGT. Its vineyards were developed across several sites and exposures; the estate selected clay- and silt-rich parcels near the Viale dei Cipressi for Merlot, then expanded into additional plots at different elevations.

The vintage benefited from spring rain that restored soil moisture, followed by a warm, ventilated summer with substantial differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures. August heat slowed phenolic development in Merlot, prompting crop thinning, while steady sunshine from mid-September helped complete ripening. The result combines clear fruit expression with an elegant, fresh structure rather than weight alone.

The varieties are fermented separately in temperature-controlled steel vats before maceration, and the wine matures in French and American oak barrels before further refinement in bottle. Guidalberto was conceived for satisfying earlier drinking while retaining the structure to develop with age. Its restrained oak and integrated tannins make it a good match for roast lamb, grilled beef or mushroom dishes.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Tenuta San Guido is the Incisa della Rocchetta family’s estate near Bolgheri on Tuscany’s coast. Mario Incisa della Rocchetta planted Cabernet Sauvignon at Castiglioncello in 1944, inspired by the resemblance between the local stony soils and Bordeaux. What began as a family experiment became Sassicaia: the 1968 vintage was its first commercial release, reaching the market in 1971.

Mario’s son Nicolò and oenologist Giacomo Tachis helped turn that experiment into an enduring estate style. Today, Carlo Paoli leads a team committed to preserving each wine’s personality. The property’s varied soils, elevations and exposures allow careful parcel selection; sea breezes and the sheltering hills help shape its growing conditions. Vineyard work emphasizes restrained yields, pruning and selective bunch thinning, with limited organic fertilization and surrounding woodland supporting natural predators of vineyard pests. These practices are part of the estate’s broader attention to its land, which also includes the Padule di Bolgheri wildlife refuge.